1. Statement of the Technical Field
The invention relates to data stores for pre-recorded and recordable media, such as a flash memory device. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for enhancing data store device architectures with in-built capabilities allowing unobtrusive implementation of copy detection and copy prevention mechanisms.
2. Description of the Related Art
As use of and demand for consumer communication devices increases, advancements in size, performance and functionality are constantly being developed and improved. For example, many consumer devices (such as content players, cellular phones, or the like) employ a mass media electrically programmable storage device to house a wide variety of data. Generally, the host device can connect to the mass media storage device by way of a standard interface such as MultiMediaCard (MMC), Secure Digital (SD), Universal Serial Bus (USB), etc., and data can be transmitted according to one of these protocols.
Accordingly, applications running on the host device can read and write blocks of data to the mass storage device as well as erase (usually larger blocks called sectors) data from the mass storage device, but commands at the level of a file system are unavailable to the typical storage device interface. Therefore, a storage device does not have “semantic” knowledge or information about blocks of data that are being read, written or erased by the mass storage device while this knowledge is being processed by a host. The semantic knowledge or information can include, but is not limited to, information indicating whether two (2) or more consecutive blocks of data belong to the same file, information indicating if an erased sector contains blocks of data from the same or different files, and information indicating the form in which the data is represented.
However, modern flash memory devices have one or more embedded logic microcontrollers which control and drive basic operations, such as read operations, write operations, and erase operations. As execution of these operations become more complex due to shrinking technology, the embedded flash microcontrollers have to provide more varied and general functionality.
Semantic knowledge or information is useful for detecting whether a given file is being copied to or “consumed” by another device. Detection and prevention of unauthorized copying of content from pre-recorded or recordable media is a serious concern for many context providers. However, complex, expensive and/or non-user-friendly copy prevention schemes do not meet requirements in some application, such as an automotive navigation application.